1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
At the beginning of Wedding Band the play takes place on a Saturday morning in the summer of 1918 in South Carolina. It takes place during the First World War and when the influenza epidemic happens. There is a neighborhood with three houses sharing a backyard, with one of the houses being fairly new in comparison to the other two, older houses. The characters in the first scene are Julia Augustine, who has recently moved into the center house, Mattie, Teeta, Lula, and Fanny. Mattie is found hectically scolding her daughter, Teeta, for losing a quarter (which was worth a good amount of money). Teeta had been instructed to pick up some things at the store, but she had lost the money to buy the needed items. It is also revealed that Julia is in a long-term relationship with a white man, and they cannot get married since their love is illegal.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion is most likely the moment Herman comes into the story. At first, the play is relatively slow, and it starts to pick up at a more rapid pace once Herman appears. The pace picks up because it turns out that he feels ill as soon as he gets to Julia's house, and this situation brings his family members into the play. Once his family appears in the play, the audience can clearly see the issue of race and the buildup of dramatic action. Essentially, Herman's appearance is what builds the action since the legitimacy of their interracial relationship is questioned and addressed by his family, who try to break the two up.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor could be the fact that Herman is visiting Julia on their tenth anniversary, which also happens to take place when influenza has stricken the country. Because of this, Herman has fallen ill, which compels his family to see him. This visitation brings up the conflict between Julia and Herman's family.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The questions are:
1) Will Julia and Herman be able to overcome the strife that comes with being in an illegal and interracial relationship?
2) How will Herman's case of influenza affect their relationship?
3) Will Julia and Herman's family be able to overcome their differences?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
Initially, Julia wants to move up north so she can finally marry the love of her life. There are many obstacles to this desire. For example, a, b, c, and d. She is a black woman, so she can't marry her love because of the racial differences. Also, a few of the characters, such as Herman's mother and Annabelle, don't want the two to get married, which represents obstacle b. For c, it is against the law for two people of different races to get married, so society and the law serves as an obstacle for this desire. Also, she ends up not being able to marry Herman because he ends up passing away, which Herman's mother sees as a "punishment from Gawd," which could possibly show evidence of obstacle d, God himself. In the end, Julia wants to stay in the South and ends up giving away her wedding band and tickets up North to her companion, Mattie. There are no obstacles to these wants since she is successful in giving away her things and staying in South Carolina.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
The most theatrical moments in this play are most likely when Herman becomes sick and when Julia and Herman's mother argue.
1) The moment Herman becomes sick, the play is built with suspense. The audience is left to wonder what has happened and what will happen because of his illness. Seeing as the play hadn't picked up the pace until this moment, this scene would definitely be one of the most dramatic moments since it was essentially the first stimulating thing to happen in the play.
2) When Julia and Herman's mother start fighting, the play has nearly reached the peak. This scene is exhilarating and dramatic, and the audience is most likely entranced at this point since this scene reveals the tension and conflict of the interracial relationship.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
1) The first image I noticed was the tea cup- Fanny reads the tea leaves from the cup Julia drank and mentioned the Devil and prosperity, which foreshadows the outcome of the play in which her fate holds something bad yet good. For example, they were planning on moving up north, but Herman passes away before they have the chance.
2) The second image could be the letter October wrote for Mattie. This explains how much the two love each other, even though their marriage is illegitimate as well. The love that is represented could be why Mattie received the tickets to go up north from Julia. This also shows how much of a good person Julia is since she could have still kept the tickets to go up north.
3) The third image could be the wedding cake that Herman baked and brought back to Julia. This shows the love between them and the reason why Herman came to see Julia. The cake is representative of their tenth anniversary.
The title helps us understand the play because a wedding band is symbolic of the love and connection between two lovers. Even though Julia and Herman aren't officially married, the wedding band he gave her is a promise of love to her. It is also quite sad since they cannot be public, as their relationship is essentially illegal.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
The themes in this play are:
1) Marriage
2) Family
3) Death
4) Racism
5) Money
6) Separation
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
Family has to do a lot with this play. Even though Herman and Julia aren't married, they are basically a family because they've been together for so long. Also, family can play a big role in future families. For example, Herman's mother and sister don't exactly approve of Herman trying to start a family with a black woman. This incident shows the differences between these two families. For example, even though Herman has a blood family, he seems to prefer the family involving Julia. This shows that love is what connects a family, rather than blood. This can also be seen as the case with Mattie, October, and Teeta. They are blood related due to Teeta, but they also love each other. This makes a family. Also, Lula and Nelson aren't related by blood but are still considered to be a family (with the exception of Fanny's conservative perspectives) through adoption.
KELCEY LEE
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Wedding Band. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
At the beginning of Wedding Band the play takes place on a Saturday morning in the summer of 1918 in South Carolina. It takes place during the First World War and when the influenza epidemic happens. There is a neighborhood with three houses sharing a backyard, with one of the houses being fairly new in comparison to the other two, older houses. The characters in the first scene are Julia Augustine, who has recently moved into the center house, Mattie, Teeta, Lula, and Fanny. Mattie is found hectically scolding her daughter, Teeta, for losing a quarter (which was worth a good amount of money). Teeta had been instructed to pick up some things at the store, but she had lost the money to buy the needed items. It is also revealed that Julia is in a long-term relationship with a white man, and they cannot get married since their love is illegal.2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? NOTE: Arguments might be made for several different points where stasis is broken. Be prepared to defend your point of view, if different from other students.
The intrusion is most likely the moment Herman comes into the story. At first, the play is relatively slow, and it starts to pick up at a more rapid pace once Herman appears. The pace picks up because it turns out that he feels ill as soon as he gets to Julia's house, and this situation brings his family members into the play. Once his family appears in the play, the audience can clearly see the issue of race and the buildup of dramatic action. Essentially, Herman's appearance is what builds the action since the legitimacy of their interracial relationship is questioned and addressed by his family, who try to break the two up.3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor could be the fact that Herman is visiting Julia on their tenth anniversary, which also happens to take place when influenza has stricken the country. Because of this, Herman has fallen ill, which compels his family to see him. This visitation brings up the conflict between Julia and Herman's family.4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The questions are:1) Will Julia and Herman be able to overcome the strife that comes with being in an illegal and interracial relationship?
2) How will Herman's case of influenza affect their relationship?
3) Will Julia and Herman's family be able to overcome their differences?
5. Use Julia to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual or individuals, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles in the play.
Initially, Julia wants to move up north so she can finally marry the love of her life. There are many obstacles to this desire. For example, a, b, c, and d. She is a black woman, so she can't marry her love because of the racial differences. Also, a few of the characters, such as Herman's mother and Annabelle, don't want the two to get married, which represents obstacle b. For c, it is against the law for two people of different races to get married, so society and the law serves as an obstacle for this desire. Also, she ends up not being able to marry Herman because he ends up passing away, which Herman's mother sees as a "punishment from Gawd," which could possibly show evidence of obstacle d, God himself. In the end, Julia wants to stay in the South and ends up giving away her wedding band and tickets up North to her companion, Mattie. There are no obstacles to these wants since she is successful in giving away her things and staying in South Carolina.6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
The most theatrical moments in this play are most likely when Herman becomes sick and when Julia and Herman's mother argue.1) The moment Herman becomes sick, the play is built with suspense. The audience is left to wonder what has happened and what will happen because of his illness. Seeing as the play hadn't picked up the pace until this moment, this scene would definitely be one of the most dramatic moments since it was essentially the first stimulating thing to happen in the play.
2) When Julia and Herman's mother start fighting, the play has nearly reached the peak. This scene is exhilarating and dramatic, and the audience is most likely entranced at this point since this scene reveals the tension and conflict of the interracial relationship.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Wedding Band. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
1) The first image I noticed was the tea cup- Fanny reads the tea leaves from the cup Julia drank and mentioned the Devil and prosperity, which foreshadows the outcome of the play in which her fate holds something bad yet good. For example, they were planning on moving up north, but Herman passes away before they have the chance.2) The second image could be the letter October wrote for Mattie. This explains how much the two love each other, even though their marriage is illegitimate as well. The love that is represented could be why Mattie received the tickets to go up north from Julia. This also shows how much of a good person Julia is since she could have still kept the tickets to go up north.
3) The third image could be the wedding cake that Herman baked and brought back to Julia. This shows the love between them and the reason why Herman came to see Julia. The cake is representative of their tenth anniversary.
The title helps us understand the play because a wedding band is symbolic of the love and connection between two lovers. Even though Julia and Herman aren't officially married, the wedding band he gave her is a promise of love to her. It is also quite sad since they cannot be public, as their relationship is essentially illegal.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
The themes in this play are:1) Marriage
2) Family
3) Death
4) Racism
5) Money
6) Separation
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Wedding Band? Perhaps you might argue for several different kinds of family in this particular play. What do you think?
Family has to do a lot with this play. Even though Herman and Julia aren't married, they are basically a family because they've been together for so long. Also, family can play a big role in future families. For example, Herman's mother and sister don't exactly approve of Herman trying to start a family with a black woman. This incident shows the differences between these two families. For example, even though Herman has a blood family, he seems to prefer the family involving Julia. This shows that love is what connects a family, rather than blood. This can also be seen as the case with Mattie, October, and Teeta. They are blood related due to Teeta, but they also love each other. This makes a family. Also, Lula and Nelson aren't related by blood but are still considered to be a family (with the exception of Fanny's conservative perspectives) through adoption.